A real-time HDTV video decoder

We present an architecture for real-time digital HDTV video decoding. Our technique is based on a dual decoding datapath controlled in a fixed schedule with an efficient write-back scheme for anchor pictures. Unlike other decoding approaches such as the slice bar decoding method and the crossing-divided method, our scheme reduces the memory access contention problem to achieve real-time HDTV decoding without a high cost in overall decoder buffers, architecture, and bus. Our simulation shows that with a relatively low rate 81 MHz clock, our decoder can decode MPEG-2 MP@HL HDTV in real-time, based on an ATSC video format of 1920×1080 pixels/frame at 30 frames/s, at a bit rate of 18 to 20 Mbit/s